Cuisinart & Family
May 8, 2007 |
If your baby is on the chubby
side, you might hear plenty of comments like, "Love those rolls!" and "I could
just squeeze those chubby cheeks!"
Everyone's got something to say
about the cuteness of a chubby baby, but doctors also say that a chubby baby is
a healthy one.
The truth is, babies need fat. A baby's brain consists of 60%
fat, much of it consisting of essential fatty acids. Because their little brains
are growing so fast, babies need the essential fatty acids that come from food
to help them grow and enhance visual development.
Without enough fat in their
diets, babies can fall off the growth curve, miss developmental milestones, and
might be subjected to visual problems and mental delays.
That's why breast milk is
considered by health experts to be the ultimate natural food. It contains a
whopping 50% fat - and just the kind of calories your rapidly growing baby
needs to grow until their first birthday.
With most babies beginning solids
around six months of age, parents need to avoid restricting their babies' fat
intake as they would for themselves, thinking this will promote a healthy
lifestyle. Babies really need the fat they are no longer getting from drinking
as much milk. Parents should try to replace the lost fat amount by adding
fat wherever they can in their babies' diet.
Here are some easy ways to up your babies' fat intake, and ensure they
get the essential fats they need:
·
Adding milk to oatmeal
·
Adding butter and milk into mashed potatoes
·
Adding egg yolks into cereal
·
Adding cream to veggies, like mashed peas
·
Adding butter to mashed pumpkin or sweet
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